Quiet but not silent. That is my aim and perhaps daily challenge. In a long conversation, you don't need to get everything out all at...

Working alone in my workshop for a long time now has instilled an empathy and understanding of everyday struggles we all encounter in our...

These are all words that are used in relation to antiques. But they do have some differences on the treatment that is applied. Renovation...

Are you thinking that furniture restoration and repair is only a fairly recent thing? Not really. It has been around nearly as long as...

Perhaps my nuances within the workshop make me look a bit strange. I am given to swearing at myself and my mistakes. I am pernickety to...

While it can feel “progressive” to tear down or throw away the old in order to make room for the new, adaptive reuse defines progress...

In the seasons of the year, from snow to greening, flowering, fruiting and harvest, in the seasons of life, from childhood to youth, full...

It is rare for any circumstance to force us completely out of our accumulated habits, patterns and comfort zones – which is exactly what...

Sometimes it could be the smallest, seemingly most insignificant thing, like the comma button falling off your laptop. It turns out to be...

In this age, and perhaps in many ages for completely different reasons, the swastika can evoke deep feelings. The swastika or sauwastika...

I found myself carving a version of this intriguing little symbol in a piece of wood. I was first drawn to the pattern. But being a...

Humanity’s relationship with plastic is rather schizophrenic. It is present in almost every aspect of modern life, from water bottles to...

Most of us have experienced a time when we were deeply involved in trying to reach a goal, or an activity that is challenging but well...

In the West, philosophers write long non-fiction books, often using incomprehensible words and limit their involvement with the world to...

There’s a small building in the centre of Nanjing, sandwiched between an electronics shop and a scooter garage, painted ox-blood red,...

The term ‘davenport’ is first noted in the renowned cabinetmaker of Lancaster, Gillows’ Cost Books in the 1790's. Gillows were a...

One of the most beautiful and evocative of all words is ‘home’. Folded within it are suggestions of safety, understanding, sympathy,...

She held my hand as we walked around the park. And my special charge is a little person – aged three – clutching a knitted rabbit in one...